


The Silence Trials #2

by logicalwritings



Series: The Silence Trials [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sensory Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 23:44:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13352001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/logicalwritings/pseuds/logicalwritings
Summary: Aftermath.





	The Silence Trials #2

 “Hello and welcome to eleven o’ clock news. I’m Stacy, bringing you today’s update on the story of the century, what is being called _The Silence Trials_. We’re taking you right outside the courtroom with Cathy.”

The screen cuts to a middle-aged woman with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail that blows in the wind. “Thank you, Stacy. Today, _The Silence Trials_ has reached an important point in history. Doctor Maria Steffen has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison-”

The television screen flickers off as Virgil holds the remote pointed at the T.V. with trembling hands. His eyebrows are narrowed, lip firmly planted between his teeth. He doesn’t look terrified- a look Roman is so used to seeing on Virgil, but he looks livid. Logan sighs from beside Patton on the couch and arranges himself so Virgil and he are facing each other.

Logan splays his hand out, four fingers upward. Four seconds pass, Virgil breathing in a shuddering breath. Then seven pass, Logan’s fingers ticked to seven and Virgil holding his breath. Then he breathes out for eight and Logan lowers his hands into his lap as Virgil continues the routine without direction. Patton gently runs his hands over Virgil’s back and Virgil reaches up and swipes away angry tears.

Roman leans back into the couch cushions, wishing Virgil had switched the station rather than switching the T.V. off entirely. With Virgil’s heavy breathing and the silence, Roman almost feels as if he’s back in the dark room. If he waits long enough he’ll hear shuffling and a sandwich will appear near the door. He’ll break another plate and add the shards to his pile _~~of murder weapons~~_.

Something lightly nudges his ankle and he realizes his eyes have been screwed shut. Logan stares at him, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Logan signs, “Perhaps you should practice the breathing exercises as well,” and Roman really appreciates Logan, because he’s reminded to take a deep breath and ground himself.

“Thanks,” Roman signs back, fingers feeling fat and heavy, so he instantly lowers them back in his lap and shuts his eyes. Apparently, Logan wants to hold a full-on conversation because he gently nudges Roman’s knee again and Roman’s eyes flutter open.

“What is troubling you?”

“Nothing.”

Roman gets kicked by Virgil and Virgil scribbles something on his whiteboard then holds it up for Logan and Roman to see.

 _It’s weird when you and Roman do that. Right in front of Patton and I. Not fair._ Virgil and Patton still aren’t fluent in ASL like Logan and Roman have become; they’re trying but Virgil isn’t catching on well and everyone knows how much it frustrates him.

Roman makes a gesture Roman’s sure Virgil will know and Patton looks affronted. He scribbles in his own messy scrawl, _Roman! NO SWEARING!_

Virgil grins and lets out a wheeze that’s not even close to a normal laugh, but it’s better than the sound of panicked, choking breaths.

 _I’m going to bed,_ Virgil writes. _Love you guys._

Roman curls his hands together into a heart and pumps them against his chest dramatically with a grin. Virgil rolls his eyes and leans over, smacking his friend then pulls a pile of warm fuzzy blankets off the couch and makes his way to his and Patton’s room.

The blankets, Roman has discovered, is Virgil’s way of coping. Virgil likes warm, soft, and fuzzy things to curl against and wrap tightly around his body like a tourniquet. Roman doesn’t understand why Virgil just doesn’t come to them to be held like they had in _there_ but he supposes- he supposes everyone copes differently.

Patton gives a sleepy little wave and follows after Virgil, blowing several kisses in the two on the couch’s direction. Tears shine in his eyes but Roman has figured out that Patton cries often and it’s hard to tell if it’s from joy or pain or great emotional distress. With one last little wave, Patton slips into his room, bunny slippers that he’d received for his nineteenth birthday party slapping against the hardwood floor.

Time. Time was the trickiest thing for Roman to figure out once he’d been reunited with his family. After hours of questioning, he figured out he had turned eighteen during the time he’d been _there_. Patton had turned nineteen. Virgil had turned eighteen as well. And then Logan hadn’t missed his birthday- he was and is still seventeen.

His birthday is in one month.

Surprisingly, Logan is the most mature despite being the youngest. He texts the others their doctor’s appointments and therapy session times. He sends those little pastel Tumblr reminders to drink water and take your meds; Virgil did his little wheeze laugh the first time Logan sent him one.

 _I didn’t know you had Tumblr,_ Virgil had texted Logan.

 _What is a Tumblr?_ Logan had asked.

Logan videos Roman and signs excitedly the new things he’s learned in his senior year. Roman, Virgil, and Patton all had decided to take a break from school; Logan didn’t. He dove right back in, studying his butt off. Roman can text Logan at 5:00 am and Logan will reply instantly with a, “Sorry, studying,” and Roman will do the mature adult thing and tell Logan to go to bed.

Roman will toss and turn, unable to escape his tormenting thoughts for the rest of the night, but so be it. Unlike stiff awkward Logan or anxious Virgil or sweet innocent Patton, Roman deserves it.

_~~He killed a man.~~ _

“My parents are expecting me home,” Logan signs. “I should go.”

“Want me to drive you?” Roman offers hoping his expression shows that he’s truly willing.

Logan shakes his head then signs, “I need to practice being independent.”

“It’s one ride, Logan,” Roman signs in exasperation. “You’re not halting any of your independence.” He finishes signing “independence” with little air quotes and Logan rolls his eyes with a small huff.

“I hope you sleep well, Roman,” Logan signs, standing up. “Good night.”

Roman returns the sentiment, rising to grab Logan’s coat from the closet and waves as Logan snaps the door with a _click_ behind him. He admires Logan; Logan has been the one to get back in the flow the fastest. He hasn’t been clinging to the others like Roman, Patton, and Virgil have, where they nearly are unable to go anywhere without each other. Logan goes home to a mom and a dad and two dogs and a cat and it somehow doesn’t shake Logan to his core.

Or.

Now it doesn’t.

When the four were first admitted into hospitals, Logan argued for hours in sign with a short EMT who kept signing furiously at him to sit the hell down and let them take care of him. Logan signed back that logically they don’t have any reason to trust doctors.

They’d had to physically restrain him when Logan became violent. And then Roman saw, as the ambulance doors shut, for the first time, Logan began to cry. Logan had never cried. Not _there_ , not the full long walk they took to the police station, and not once the entire time he signed out the story to a translator at the police station.

But there he was- crying and making horrible whimpers in the back of his throat. Roman made a point to visit Logan once he was released. He gently swept his hand over Logan’s hands and signed things he hoped were comforting.

_We’ll be out of here soon. We don’t have any serious injuries._

Logan just signed back that maybe they didn’t have any physical ones, but they sure had some scarring emotional and mental ones.

Roman sighs and runs a hand over his face and flops into his bed. Maria Steffen had taken everything from them; apparently, after numbing their throats and sedating them, she mutilated their vocal chords to the point they were irreparable. She shoved them in a dark room and observed them through hidden cameras just to see how people react to suddenly being deprived of nearly all their senses and isolated with only a few fellow humans. Roman was the starting point- Patton was the conclusion. Little variables in a damned _experiment._

Roman’s never hated a person more.

He shivers for hours in his bed, alone and only seeing flashes of darkness and blood. He flicks on the light, but it does nothing to comfort him. He shuffles around and he plays music in his ears, loud, to remind him he’s free.

Nothing works and eventually, he drags his comforter from his bed and trudges into Patton’s room and the light is on, incredibly bright, MCR playing softly through the speakers. Virgil lays against Patton’s chest, tear streaks red and raw on his face as he stares blankly at Roman. Patton looks up with a soft smile but his eyes look lost and terrified.

Roman crawls over into the bed and positions himself so he can hold Patton within his arms and Patton just nestles himself there, sighing a deep sigh of relief as if Roman has just removed a huge burden from his shoulders. Virgil doesn’t make much of a move, just scoots closer to Patton and fluttering shut his eyes.

Patton’s phone buzzes from the bedside table and Roman reaches over and sees Logan’s familiar icon next to a message; he unlocks the phone and taps the notification.

_I’m having a pretty bad night, to be honest. Are you three alright? I think the news might be affecting us._

Roman takes a deep sigh and leans back against the pillows. They’ve had similar nights in the past few months they’ve been home. Roman hates them. He just wants to return to his adventurous, happy, have-no-fear self. But he’s… broken.

At least he doesn’t have to spend these nights alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologise if this isn’t as great as the first part. It feels a little choppy, in regards to how it flows. It also feels way too fluffy. And I feel like there are aspects that I need to further explain, but I wasn’t sure how to… I need to not tear apart the story in my notes. :/


End file.
